California Dem Running for Governor Argues State Can’t Blame Trump for Homeless Crisis and Surging Costs

Former Los Angeles Mayor and current California gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa (D) claimed his fellow Democrats “can’t put everything” wrong with the state on President Donald Trump.

Villaraigosa told MS NOW on Saturday that Trump is a  “threat to our democracy,” but that still doesn’t mean liberals can just sit back and blame him for all of California’s problems. He then rattled off a number of issues facing The Golden State during his interview on The Weekend: Primetime.

“We can’t put everything on Donald Trump. We have the highest homelessness in the United States of America, the highest gas prices, the highest utilities, the highest home prices. People can’t afford rent,” Villaraigosa said. “And those happened under Democratic policies.”

Villaraigosa then described himself as the “stink bomb in the elevator” because of his willingness to blame the state’s Democratic leadership and not just bash Trump. Still, he did not call out California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) or any other state leaders by name during his Saturday interview.

As Villaraigosa referenced, California has been grappling with a growing homelessness crisis in recent years.

California’s homeless population climbed to a record 187,084 people in 2024, the most recent year data is available for; that accounted for about 1 out of every 4 homeless Americans nationwide. The average price for a gallon of gas recently hit $6 in the state as well. Newsom said last week he still opposes suspending California’s gas tax, which adds 61.2 cents per gallon — the highest in the USA.

Villaraigosa — who served as LA’s mayor from 2005 to 2013 — is vying to succeed Newsom. He is locked in a crowded race that is currently lead by Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra, according to most polls. Becerra went viral for the wrong reasons last week, though, when he told an LA reporter on camera that he didn’t want an interview to turn into a “gotcha piece.” 

He added California had a $300 million budget surplus when Jerry Brown’s (D) time as governor ended in 2019. But Villaraigosa said the state squandered that surplus by hiring 36,000 new government employees — which he said will force the next governor to “live within our means.”

Watch above via MS NOW.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!